Marlborough celebrates Labor Day with 63rd annual parade

MARLBOROUGH - A large and patriotic crowd cheered for political candidates, marching bands and military color guards as the city celebrated Labor Day with its annual parade down Main Street Monday.

An estimated 60,000-plus people came out, lining the 1.8-mile parade route through downtown.

U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas and candidates for governor and other offices courted voters while Clydesdale horses trotted by, Revolutionary War re-enactors fired muskets and marching bands played to the crowd.

Organizers and officials said this year’s 63rd annual parade was a great success, even on such a hot, sunny afternoon.

"It was really a special day in the city," Mayor Arthur Vigeant said after he finished marching not once – but twice.

Vigeant led the parade alongside Marlborough city councilors, then went back to rally support along the route for Republican gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker.

"I heard a lot of compliments as I was walking back," Vigeant said.

The mayor praised first-time parade director Melanie Whapham.

Whapham said an ambulance took away one parade participant who fell ill in the heat, but other than that medical emergency, "things went very well."

Whapham said she was proud of the lineup, which included 22 candidates and nine new entries.

She said she was glad to welcome the U.S. Navy Band from Newport, Rhode Island, for the first time, and to have the Navy’s USS Constitution Honor Guard and the U.S. Marine Corps Honor Guard participating.

"It’s been a while since we’ve had the active military color guards," said Whapham, whose husband George formerly served as parade director for 27 years.

Rick MacWilliams of Northborough was on board an antique 1941 Ford fire truck, playing tuba with the New Liberty Jazz Band.

"We love it," he said. "We do a lot of parades."

The parade included about 175 different participants, from fife and drum ensembles to veterans to grand marshal Ed Clancy and his wife Barbara.

"I like the marching bands and right here, the Shriners," resident Carol Rosenau said, watching as the crowd favorite Aleppo Shriners zoomed around in their mini haulers.

She watched with her family in their usual spot in front of the library, trying to pass down the parade-going tradition to her two grandchildren. "It’s always a lot of fun."

Kids blew bubbles, threw pop rocks on the street and scrambled for candy as floats passed by while bands played patriotic tunes such as Yankee Doodle.

"I haven’t been here in years and years and years," said city resident Geoff Schultz, who watched the parade at the starting point, looking out for his fiancée, who was on a float.

"I had no idea it was this big," he said. "This is a great parade."

Danielle Ameden can be reached at 508-626-4416 or dameden@wickedlocal.com. Follow her on Twitter @damedenMW.